The Olivet Discourse
Luke 21
Take your Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 21. Luke 21 this morning.
I’m going to attempt to preach a prophetic passage of Scripture this morning. It’s one of the most debated passages in the whole Bible. Because of that, I’ve been tempted to punt on this one. I was even going to punt on it this morning. I had another message ready to go. But I had a moment of clarity, decided that I know how I want to present it, and I’m going to go for it today.
I have a particular dislike for prophecy. When I was growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, it was probably the heyday of evangelical prophecy nerds. I remember many, many dozens—if not hundreds—of messages about the end times, about how it was coming soon, about how we were about to be raptured. I remember lots of ministries where people were setting dates. I remember people putting posters about when the rapture was going to be on light poles around town—and miraculously those posters seemed to be preserved for decades long after the dates came and went. And I think a lot of people my age who grew up in that just feel a little bit uneasy when it comes to biblical prophecy.
But we’re committed to expounding the whole counsel of God. And the whole counsel of God includes a lot of prophecy. About a third of the Bible is prophecy, and much of it has yet to come true. So as Bible-believing Christians, we have to know what the Bible says about the end times. And the passage we’re going to look at today is one of the main passages that lays that out for us.
Are you in Luke 21?
Are you there? Let’s begin reading at verse 5.
[5] And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
[6] As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
[7] And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luke 21:5-7 (KJV)
If you remember, this is the Passover. This is the time when people are coming from all over the known world to the temple to give their gifts. And they had these boxes that people would come in and put their gifts in. There had to be long lines at all of these boxes. Jesus has just pointed out a widow giving two mites—no money at all, really—and said that she gave more than all of the rest of them combined.
After Jesus says this, they overhear some people—and there had to be a lot of these people. (You can imagine tourists looking at the big grand temple with all of the gold overlay and all of the stones.) They overhear these people marveling at how much wealth is in this temple. And Jesus says something that was startling to them. He says the days are coming when there won’t be one stone left on another. And they asked him a question. They said, “When is that going to happen? What are the signs?” And our text today is Jesus answering that question.
Now, this is where it gets tricky. A lot of people want to look at this passage and say that this is all about the tribulation and the end times. That’s the view that I grew up hearing most.
There’s another group of people that’s gaining in popularity called preterists, and they say the opposite. They say that this passage—and by the way, many of them say the whole book of Revelation—is all about stuff that happened shortly after Jesus lived, died, and rose again. And they interpret this passage completely as history and not as upcoming prophecy.
I believe that this passage we’re about to look at is about both things. I believe Jesus is talking about a coming calamity for Israel and a future calamity for the whole world. And he mentions a period of time between them that was kind of a mystery to people. And I think when you understand that, it gives you a better lens for where we’re at in God’s timeline of prophecy.
So we are going to look at these two major calamities that Jesus predicted—and then, last, where we sit in that timeline.
Let’s pray, and we’ll jump into the text this morning.
1. A calamity on Israel — culminating in the destruction of the temple
The first thing I believe Jesus was talking about here is a calamity on Israel that would culminate in the destruction of the temple.
Jesus got their attention by predicting that the temple would be completely destroyed. He said one stone wouldn’t stand upon another. Now that temple had been standing since the days of Ezra and Zerubbabel. It had been standing for hundreds of years. It had been retrofitted and beautified by Herod the Great. It was a strong symbol of their national identity. And to the Jews, they could not imagine this temple being destroyed. In fact, one of the charges brought against Jesus at his fake trial—this very week—was that he said the temple was going to be destroyed.
I believe that much of this text is Jesus talking about things that were going to happen in the near term. And it did happen in AD 70.
Look at verse 20, and we’ll read down to verse 24.
[20] And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
[21] Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
[22] For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
[23] But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
[24] And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luke 21:20-24 (KJV)
If you doubt that this is near and local, look at the specific language Luke uses. He talks about Jerusalem being compassed with armies. He talks about Judea. He talks about “this people” at the end of verse 23. He talks about Jerusalem being trodden down of the Gentiles in verse 24. This is a local, near-term prediction—and it has already come true.
Remember, the Romans are in charge. The Jews do not really govern their own land. It’s not really their country at this point. And the Jewish people are very nationalistic, and they very much hated the Romans. And there were all of these different revolutionary groups that were popping up.
About thirty years after Jesus lived, died, and rose again, in AD 66, a full-scale Jewish revolt against the Romans broke out. It lasted about four years until Jerusalem and the temple fell. Finally, the Roman general Titus took over the war. He laid the city of Jerusalem under siege, which brought a widespread famine and internal fighting. And then he breached the walls, burned down and destroyed the temple, left the city in complete ruins, and decimated Judea.
In this war there was famine. There was internal fighting. There was death on a scale those people had scarcely seen. The temple was destroyed and has never been rebuilt. In many ways, this event marked the end of the old temple-centered order of Israel.
So this part of Jesus’ prophecy has already come true. It came true in AD 70 in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
Hold the last phrase of verse 24 for later—“until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” We’re going to come back to that.
But that’s not true of the whole passage. Look at verse 25.
[25] And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
[26] Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
[27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
[28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luke 21:25-28 (KJV)
We haven’t seen these things come to pass. We haven’t seen the powers of heaven shaken like this. And we certainly haven’t seen Jesus come in a cloud with power and great glory. So in this passage Jesus predicted something that was going to happen in the short term—a local calamity—but then he also predicted:
2. A later worldwide calamity — culminating in His return
And that’s what much of this passage is talking about. It’s talking about this future, coming, end-of-the-world calamity—what we would call the tribulation—that culminates with Jesus coming back. I believe this is what the book of Revelation tells us about.
Look at verse 8. I believe these verses are talking about this time of tribulation, this later time that hasn’t come yet:
[8] And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
[9] But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
[10] Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
[11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
[12] But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
[13] And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
[14] Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
[15] For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
[16] And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
[17] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
[18] But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
[19] In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luke 21:8-19 (KJV)
There is coming a time when the world will be in utter turmoil, when God’s people will be rounded up and persecuted, and at the end of that time Jesus is coming back. He’s going to set up his kingdom and rule this earth, making everything right again.
Now look at verses 29 to 33:
[29] And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
[30] When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
[31] So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
[32] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
[33] Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luke 21:29-33 (KJV)
A lot of people get hung up on the phrase, “This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” And here’s what I believe Jesus meant by that: the generation that saw the signs and times leading up to the events of AD 70—when they saw those things, when they saw those times—they could count it as a certainty that what Jesus predicted was about to happen. And it did. And the generation that lives through the tribulation—when they see the signs and the times that Jesus predicted here and that were further predicted in the book of Revelation—when they see those times, they can count it as a certainty that they’re going to live and see everything fulfilled.
Both generations can claim this promise:
- The generation that would see the collapse of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70.
- And the generation that will see the tribulation and the return of Christ.
So you see, in all of that discourse, Jesus was predicting two coming calamities, two world-shaping events. One would be the end of the temple order and that old shape of national life centered on Jerusalem—and the other would be the end of the world as we know it, culminating with the return of Christ and the kingdom of God.
Look also at verses 34 to 36:
[34] And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
[35] For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
[36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 21:34-36 (KJV)
So where does this put us? Where are we in this story? Well, I believe Jesus actually talks about where we are in verse 24.
3. Between the two calamities — the times of the Gentiles
Look at verse 24 again:
[24] And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luke 21:24 (KJV)
We’ve already read this verse when we were talking about the calamity that was going to befall Israel. Notice the last phrase: the times of the Gentiles must be fulfilled. That word until matters. Jesus is not only describing what Rome would do to Jerusalem. He is marking off a whole stretch of history that has a beginning, a middle, and an end God has already set.
What are the times of the Gentiles? They are that season when the nations have their day, when Jerusalem is under Gentile domination, and when the gospel runs out to the ends of the earth—until God says that season is complete.
Church, that’s where we are. We are in the times of the Gentiles, and we’ve been living in them for close to two thousand years now.
God in his infinite wisdom planned something that people in Bible days did not see the way we see it now—what we often call the church age. A time when the gospel would be wide open for the whole world. Not because God forgot Abraham’s people, but because in this age the door is thrown open wide to the nations—while His purposes for Israel still wait their appointed fulfillment. So the gospel comes to people here in Illinois, and down in Argentina, and in South Africa, and in Taiwan, and all over the world.
So we are living in this time of the Gentiles. We are living after some of what Jesus predicted has already come true—but not yet when the rest of what He predicted will come true. Between a fulfilled word about Jerusalem and a sure word still to come about His return.
And hear this clearly: this is the times of the Gentiles—not the end of God’s dealings with the Jews. God is not finished with Israel. He still has future plans for that nation. The fall of the temple did not cancel the promises of God.
So church, don’t confuse the fall of Jerusalem with the end of the age. And don’t be one of these people always trying to set dates, because the Bible says no man knows the day or the hour of His appearing. We are living in this mystery period called the times of the Gentiles, and it could last another week, or it could last another millennium. That “until” is on God’s calendar, not ours.
And while we wait in this gap, Jesus’ word for us is not “build a timeline.” Look back at what He said in verses 34 to 36. Take heed. Don’t let your heart get overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life. Watch. Pray. Live ready to stand before the Son of man.
So don’t panic at every war and every rumor as if the sky must fall tomorrow. And don’t drift as if Jesus is never coming at all. Both of those miss the moment we’re in.
What’s important is that we do our job. Fulfill the Great Commission. Preach the gospel to every creature. Teach all nations. Because the time to do that will not last forever. That is the phase of history we’re in right now—between the calamity that already fell on Jerusalem and the calamity still to come on the whole earth, with the return of Christ at the end of it.
That is where we sit. That is what time it is. And that is why this chapter still matters on a Sunday morning in Illinois.
Conclusion
So let’s bring it home.
Jesus looked at stones that looked permanent and told the truth: they would fall. And they fell. He looked past that generation to a worldwide shaking and to the day when they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. That day is still ahead. And between those two horizons He placed an until—the times of the Gentiles—where you and I live, work, raise kids, and gather as a church.
We live between a word that has already been kept and a word that will not fail.
So what do you do with a chapter like this?
If you are in Christ, you watch and you work. You don’t waste this age on date-setting or on spiritual sleep. You take the gospel seriously, because this open door to the nations is a mercy with a limit God has set. You keep your head up—not in panic, but in hope—because when those final things begin to come to pass, Jesus said to look up: your redemption draweth nigh.
And if you are not in Christ—hear this carefully. The same Jesus who predicted judgment is not only a prophet. He is the Savior. The Judge who will come in glory is the One who already came in humility, died for sinners, and rose again. You will stand before the Son of man. The only question is whether you will stand in your own sin or stand covered by His blood.
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (KJV)
Put your trust in Him. Don’t drift through the times of the Gentiles as if there is no appointment at the end of them.
Don’t confuse AD 70 with the end of the story.
Don’t pretend you know the day.
Do the work of this hour.
Watch. Pray. Believe. Hope.
Heaven and earth shall pass away—but His words shall not pass away.
Let’s pray.
